The Snowman

A Harry Hole Novel

By: Jo Nesbø, Don Bartlett

Narrated by: Robin Sachs

Length: 15 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Internationally acclaimed crime writer Jo Nesbø’s antihero police investigator, Harry Hole, is back: in a bone-chilling thriller that will take Hole to the brink of insanity.

Oslo in November. The first snow of the season has fallen. A boy named Jonas wakes in the night to find his mother gone. Out his window, in the cold moonlight, he sees the snowman that inexplicably appeared in the yard earlier in the day. Around its neck is his mother’s pink scarf.

Hole suspects a link between a menacing letter he’s received and the disappearance of Jonas’s mother - and of perhaps a dozen other women, all of whom went missing on the day of a first snowfall. As his investigation deepens, something else emerges: he is becoming a pawn in an increasingly terrifying game whose rules are devised - and constantly revised - by the killer.

Fiercely suspenseful, its characters brilliantly realized, its atmosphere permeated with evil, The Snowman is the electrifying work of one of the best crime writers of our time.

©2011 Jo Nesbo (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Jo Nesbø is my new favorite thriller writer and Harry Hole my new hero.” (Michael Connelly)

Thrilling

Several nice twists in the plot, although some of them almost predictable. Narratotion is good, but there are some parts of the recording that are very low (meaning the pitch), so when I listened to it in the car, it was difficult to understand.

Jo Nesbo....my newest fave... Mystery and Thriller

Once I have found an author I like to read all the books in the series....the Stieg Larsson
Girl with the Dragon tattoo series is my all time favorite. So now that the bar has been set so high its hard to find that immediate connection and passion I'm looking for.

I found that spark again with all the Douglas Preston & Lincoln Childs books ( w the Pendergast character) Charlene Harris w Sookie Stackhouse, every single one of the amazing Joshilyn Jackson books, Katheryn Stockett, all Elizabeth George books starting from the first of the Inspector Lord Lynley series....and now there is...and has been...Jo Nesbo. I love the gritty, grubby appealing central character Harry Hole...the stories are complex and you just cant imagine "who dunnit"...which I love. I'm about to be on my third Jo Nesbo and intend to read them all.

I recommend them.

Great!!!

Great mystery thriller...second Jo Nesbo book read...good competitor to Stieg Larssen's style...l love the British narrator..

Gripping from Start to Finish

Any additional comments?

A dark Swedish detective story..but less sensational than the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I've past this book on to multiple other people. It has been a while since I've enjoyed the whole of a book so much. Gripping plot line, clever murder schemes (important for a murder mystery/crime novel.

The Snowman

This book was hard for me not to skip and to stay on task. It had many characters and it was hard to know exactly what was going on. No it was not one I would read again.

This is my first Nesbo...won't be my last!

Well, I gave this a 5 star, as it was an excellent police thriller. I do have one small gripe, however... While the author through out many red herrings, and did a wonderful job with them, hidden amongst them was one glaring clue which gave away who the killer was well before the killer should have been revealed. I do not wish to spoil the read, so I won't say more, however it was just so out of place and out of character for Hole to have missed it, I was disappointed. Still a very well done book... my first Nesbo... and I did enjoy it very much overall. Tight storyline, other than the BIG giveaway... I will read others in the series:)

Riveting from start to finish

Would you consider the audio edition of The Snowman to be better than the print version?

I did not read the print version, but my sister did and loved it. However, Robin Sachs' narration is superb.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot is always moving forward, details are always being revealed which turn out to be essential to the eventual solving of the crime. Just when you think you know what's going on, but yet things don't quite add up, the plot takes a turn and things become clearer bit by bit. I usually only listen to shorter books (6-10 hours) because I get bored by descriptions and wordiness--this book had me on the edge of my seat all the way through.

Which character – as performed by Robin Sachs – was your favorite?

I love them all and I love the individual voices. Its a hallmark of a truly gifted audio performer when a character can begin to speak and the audience knows who it is before the name is even revealed through text. Jim Dale (Harry Potter series) is the master of this--Robin Sachs does it as well. The countryman Bjorn Holm has a Welsh accent which was a little strange for my British father to hear!! But Sachs does this to individualize his characters and make their accents relevant and accessible to us Americans.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I could have kept listening, but I wanted to savor it. I enjoyed listening to it in bits and pieces because it made my commute so much more enjoyable. I am always sad when a wonderful audiobook is over--it means I have to figure out what I should listen to next (and I am often disappointed).

Any additional comments?

I did not like the Dragon Tattoo trilogy on audio--I found it too slow-paced for my liking. The Snowman moves at a blistering pace and never lost my interest. Towards the end it resembled a horror novel because of how dark and frightening it got. I loved it!

Gripping!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I couldn't wait to hear the next chapter. Great protrayal of enigmatic characters. I felt like I was in Norway. So eerie to picture the villain and the cat and mouse interplay with Harry. Many great themes included alcoholism, marital monotony and lost love, smoldering sexuality, dead beat police. I want to read more about Harry the detective protagonist. You will love this book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Harry was complex, very salty, jaded and human. I was rooting for him.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was horrified by the premise.

confusing timeline

If you could sum up The Snowman in three words, what would they be?

Interesting plot, timeline jumps too much, kept me guessing for a while

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

most interesting - suspense, significance of snowmen
least interesting - many unrealistic situations.

Have you listened to any of Robin Sachs’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

perfect thriller

I'm half way through and can't stop listening! I'm just glad it's an audio book so that I can do other things around the house during my weekend listening marathon. By the way, Michael Connelly???s endorsement is what got me to buy this first Nesbo book too (both now among my favorites writers).